Two suns, one much larger than the other, provided heat and light for Tensor-4, a planet in a galaxy far from Earth. Hitch and Dale flew their ship out of its sunshine-baked atmosphere and into the darkness of space, where they headed straight for their home base, an orbiting space station called Alterra.
Alterra was a massive, city-sized spaceport that was home to thousands of families. They lived in soaring silver-and-white structures that glistened in the warm light shining in through Alterra’s clear outer skin. Though the orbiting city was supermodern, all the men and women wore blue jeans, boots, cowboy hats, and flannel shirts. It looked as if everyone had been plucked from the Wild West of Earth and launched into orbit around this far-flung planet. But instead of riding horses, they flew flight cycles, and instead of herding cattle, they grew vegetables in hydroponic gardens.
The silver spaceship entered the massive air lock and landed among a sea of similar ships. Hitch and Dale hurried down the ship’s ramp and stepped onto a moving sidewalk that whisked them away from the hangar.
“I think we’re in trouble,” Dale said as they zipped along.
“We’re not in trouble,” Hitch replied. “I’m in trouble.”
“But I’m your deputy. We’re a team.”
“We are,” said Hitch. “But whatever happened down on Tensor-4 was my doing. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Except that my partner won’t let me do my job,” Dale shot back.
“You’re a deputy,” Hitch said patiently. “And a new one at that. You’ve only been on the job a couple of months. You need more experience.”
“Exactly! And how am I supposed to get experience if you never let me do anything? At this rate, I’ll never become a full-on Sky Marshal.”
“It’ll happen soon enough. For now, let me take the heat, all right?”
Dale didn’t continue the debate. Arguing with Hitch was about as satisfying as trying to convince water that it wasn’t wet. It couldn’t be done.
The moving sidewalk brought them directly to a tall silver building with a giant five-pointed star emblem hanging over the door. They entered the headquarters of the Sky Marshals and were immediately greeted by a large man whose face was red with anger.
“Get in here!” he bellowed.
It was not a friendly greeting.
“Good to see you, too, Mayor,” Hitch said calmly.
The mayor of Alterra, Jonas Wilder, was a tall man with a large gut that strained at his belt. His jet-black suit made him look more like an undertaker than a mayor. He pointed a threatening finger at Hitch and snarled, “Don’t you get sassy with me, Hitchcock.”
Dale stood next to Hitch, ready to take on Wilder.
Captain Fife, the head of the Sky Marshals, hurried over. He was a mousy little man, half the size of Mayor Wilder, with buggy eyes and a constant lip twitch that made it seem like he was trying to keep from smiling. But he had nothing to smile about just then.
“Let’s all take a breath here,” Fife said nervously. “Remember, we’re on the same team.”
“You let him get away,” the mayor growled at Hitch. “What kind of marshal are you, anyway?”
“The kind who knows that the more time I waste up here, the farther away that thieving brat’s going to get,” Hitch said.
“Uh-oh,” Dale said under her breath. “Here we go.”
Mayor Wilder’s head turned a deep shade of red that bordered on purple. “Careful, Hitchcock. You’re talking about my son.”
“I’m talking about a criminal who doesn’t know right from wrong,” Hitch said. “Now, why do you suppose that is?”
“Oh, this ain’t good,” Dale whispered.
Captain Fife felt the same way. “Maybe we should all just calm down and—”
“Are you saying I didn’t raise my kid right?” the mayor shot back at Hitch.
“Just stating facts,” Hitch said with a shrug. “You’d know better than I do why he turned out the way he did. I hear he’s more than a little spoiled. The kind of kid who gets whatever he wants, and if he doesn’t, he takes it anyway.”
Hitch and the mayor glared at each other.
“Captain Fife, take his badge,” the mayor said coldly. “Take both of their badges. Suspend them and send another marshal down there who knows what he’s doing.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary.” Fife tried to be diplomatic. “Hitchcock is my best tracker. I’m sure that—”
“I’ll decide what’s necessary, Fife,” the mayor said without taking his eyes off Hitch. “Unless you want me to take your badge, too.”
Fife didn’t have the nerve to argue. “Fine. I’ll handle it.”
The mayor looked away from Hitch and jabbed a finger into Fife’s chest, making the smaller man flinch. “It’s up to you to find my son. And bring him in, unharmed.”
“That’s the plan,” Fife agreed.
The mayor jammed his black cowboy hat back on his head, threw one last angry look at Hitch, and said, “My son may be a thief, but from what I can tell, he’s smarter than you.”
The mayor’s words hit Hitch like a punch in the gut, but he didn’t let on.
“Get on it,” the mayor said to Fife, and stormed out.
“You can’t suspend us,” Dale pleaded with Fife. “We’re so close to getting the Kid!”
“You heard the mayor,” Fife said. “I don’t have a choice. I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault,” Hitch said. “To be honest, it don’t surprise me.”
“So what happens now?” Dale asked.
“You two are on desk duty,” Fife said. “Until further notice.”
“No!” Dale cried. “A new team will have to start from scratch. What sense does that make?”
“And I’ll need your badges.”
“But…this is crazy!” Dale exclaimed.
Hitch unpinned the badge from his shirt and handed it to Fife. Dale tried to come up with another argument but realized it was useless. With a huff, she gave her badge to Fife.
“Soon as we bring in the Camarillo Kid,” said Fife, “I’ll be sure to—”
“Leonard,” Hitch said.
“What?” Fife asked, momentarily confused.
“The mayor’s son. His name’s Leonard. He doesn’t need a clever nickname.”
“Right. As soon as we bring Leonard in, you’ll get your badges back. Until then, don’t leave Alterra. Better still, don’t leave headquarters.”
“I’ll be taking the rest of the day off.” Hitch strode for the door.
“Well…okay,” Fife said. “Good idea. Maybe it’s best you steer clear until this blows over.”
Hitch left without another word.
Dale scowled at Fife. “You should’ve stood up for us.”
Fife could only offer her a helpless shrug.
Dale followed Hitch outside. He was already on a moving sidewalk, so she had to run to catch up.
“It ain’t right,” she said, breathless. “This is our case. We can track that little weasel better than anybody.”
She waited for a reaction. Any reaction.
She didn’t get one.
“Ain’t you upset?” she shouted, frustrated.
“No sense in being upset. It won’t change a thing,” Hitch said.
“But we can’t just give up and run away with our tails between our legs!”
“Who said anything about running away?” Hitch asked. “Or givin’ up?”
Dale stared at Hitch, not sure what he meant. “But Captain Fife told us to—”
Hitch gave her a little wink. Dale stopped talking. That wasn’t like him. Hitch didn’t wink.
“We’re still on the case, ain’t we?” she said with a knowing smile.
“Not officially,” Hitch said.
“Hoo-wee! Now we’re talking! What’s the plan?”
“We track him. I don’t care what Mayor Wilder thinks. There hasn’t been a thief born yet who can outwit me. Especially not little Leonard Wilder. But Tensor-4 is a mighty big planet. We can’t just jump on a ship and head down there without any idea of what he might do next.”
“He’s certain to keep on stealing,” Dale said. “Or maybe he’ll try to sell what he already stole. He’ll need grub, and you can’t eat a chunk of gold. If you ask me, he’s not being very smart.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, he stole some mighty valuable things, but they won’t do him no good unless he can sell ’em. Where will he find somebody with that kind of money? I mean, a giant gold nugget? A heavy chunk of silver? A diamond the size of an apple? Those things are downright priceless.”
“I agree. It don’t make sense that—” Hitch stopped midsentence. “Hold on, what’s this about a big diamond?”
“You didn’t know? He stole a big diamond from the science museum up here on Alterra just before he took off for Silver Spur. The thing’s so big and rare that it’s got a name.”
“Are you talkin’ about the Tell Diamond?” Hitch asked.
“That’s the one! Biggest diamond in the whole science museum. I saw it once. It’s so big.”
“That diamond is famous. I didn’t know Leonard stole it.”
“See?” Dale said. “That’s why you need a smart partner. If you ask me, there’s no way Leonard can sell those three things.”
Hitch looked worried. More worried than Dale had ever seen. He scratched his scruffy beard.
“You’re thinking ’bout something. What is it?” Dale asked.
“The Trinity. We’re going back to base.” Hitch vaulted over the handrail of the moving sidewalk and raced in the opposite direction, toward Sky Marshal headquarters.
“Hey, wait!” Dale jumped over the rail and ran after him. “What’s a Trinity?”